Your objective is to win more money, during the course of a set number of hands of poker, than the other four opponents in your tournament round. Once those four opponents have been defeated, you'll advance to the next round. As you move on to higher tournament levels, the rewards, as well as your opponents' skill, will continue to increase.
| Round # | # Hands | NP Cost | NP Award |
| 1 | 5 | 150 | 450 |
| 2 | 8 | 500 | 1500 |
| 3 | 10 | 1000 | 3000 |
| 4 | 12 | 2500 | 7500 |
| 5 | 16 | 5000 | 15000 |
| 6* | 16 | 10000 | 30000 |
| * Bonus level: High score table is activated. Score is total winnings after 16 hands | |||
How to win a single hand of poker:
Play begins with each player adding his ante to the pot. Each player then receives five cards face down, followed by the first betting interval. A different player starts the betting each round. A player may check (make no bet) or bet if no one has previously made a bet. Otherwise, a player must call (match the previous bet), raise (add one more bet), or fold (removing cards from current hand). Players who do not fold after the first betting interval then choose which (if any) of the five cards they want to discard (4 cards maximum). You can select the card you want to discard by clicking on it. Once you've selected the card(s) that you want to get rid of, you can discard them by pressing the discard button.
The dealer then deals cards to replace the players' discarded cards. The second (and final) betting interval takes place after each player has discarded. The same betting rules apply, however bets made in the second interval are double the amount of those in the first round. After the final betting interval, all the players who haven't folded will show their cards. The player with the highest-ranking hand of five cards wins. If hands tie, the pot is split.
The hand-rankings go as follows:
- Straight flush
Five cards in sequence in the same suit. If two straight flushes compete, the hand with the highest-ranking cards in the flush sequence wins.For example: A-K-Q-J-10 (Royal flush) beats K-Q-J-10-9. Also, 6-5-4-3-2 beats 5-4-3-2-A.
The royal flush is the highest standard hand and beats all others.
Example
- Four of a kind
Any four cards of the same rank, such as four 9s. If two players have four of a kind, the hand with the four higher cards wins. Four of a kind beats a full house or any lower hand.Example
- Full house
Three of a kind and a pair. The full house with the highest-ranking three of a kind wins against another full house with a lower-ranking three of a kind. A full house beats a flush or any lower hand.Example
- Flush
A hand of any five cards where all five cards are of the same suit. A flush with the highest-ranking cards beats another flush hand. If the highest cards from each players' hands tie, the next highest-ranking cards determine the winner, and so on. A flush beats a straight or any lower hand.Example
- Straight
A hand of any five cards in sequence, but not of the same suit. The straight with the highest-ranking cards at the head of the sequence is the winner against another straight hand. The highest possible straight is A-K-Q-J-10. The lowest possible straight is 5-4-3-2-A. NOTE: Q-K-A-2-3 is NOT considered a straight since an ace must be at either be at the beginning or end. A straight beats three of a kind or any lower hand.Example
- Three of a kind
Three cards of the same rank, such as three 8s. The highest-ranking three cards win against another three of a kind hand. Three aces are the highest; three 2s are the lowest. Three of a kind beats Two Pair, or any lower hand.Example
- Two Pair
Two separate combinations of two cards of the same rank. The hand with the highest-ranking pair wins against another hand that has Two Pair. If the highest-ranking pairs tie, the hand with the second highest-ranking pair wins. If all the pairs in both hands tie, then the hand with the highest-ranking fifth card wins. Two Pair beats any hand with one pair, or no pair (high card).Example
- One Pair
Any two cards of the same rank. The hand with the highest-ranking pair wins against another hand with a pair. If both hands have the same pair, the highest-ranking unmatched card in the hand determines the winner. If the highest-ranking unmatched cards tie, the next highest-ranking unmatched cards are compared, and so on. One pair beats any hand with no pair (high card).Example
- High card
A hand with no matched cards. With two competing high card hands, the hand with the highest-ranking card wins. If the highest-ranking unmatched cards tie, the next highest-ranking unmatched cards are compared, and so on.Example
